Silver medal for Airinė Palšytė in high jump at European championship

Lithuanian high-jump athlete Airinė Palšytė took the silver medal last night at the European Athletics Championship, tying with Bulgarian high-jumper Mirela Demireva with a height of 1.96m.

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This was the first European adult medal for Palšytė, who is 23 years old. She cleared the 1.96m mark on her first try, but three subsequent attempts to clear 1.98m were unsuccessful.

For the third year in a row, the gold medal went to 37-year-old Spanish high-jumper Rut Beitia, who was the only one to clear the 1.98m mark.

Palšytė received congratulations from the country's leaders. Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius said “This excellent victory give me hope that our athletics has returned to the path to victory.” President Dalia Grybauskaitė said “May Lithuania always be in your heart as you fight for these honourable medals, and may the support of everyone in our country inspire you to never give up.”